不死也得掉層皮

bùsǐyěděidiàocéngpí ㄅㄨˋ ㄙˇ ㄧㄝˇ ㄉㄟˇ ㄉㄧㄠˋ ㄘㄥˊ ㄆㄧˊ

    • to go through great suffering
    • to be utterly worn out

Character by character

Saying俗语俗語

Idiom惯用语 · In everyday use

Literally
even if you don't die, you'll lose a layer of skin
Meaning
Describes going through great suffering, or being utterly worn out. Exaggeration, colloquial.

Sources